When Should Someone Be Offered Palliative Care? | Signs To Look Out For

Being diagnosed with a terminal condition is an overwhelming time, both for the person with the condition and the people around them. If you’ve been diagnosed, palliative care is a suitable option because it minimises symptoms and makes you as comfortable as possible.

Palliative care aims to help you remain independent and continue living life on your terms, while receiving the care you need to manage your condition and providing support to family members and friends. Palliative care can be given in a palliative care home, through palliative care at home, or in a setting such as a hospice or hospital.

This article explains when you should be offered palliative care. It also looks at the signs you may need palliative care and the conditions and symptoms that can be managed through it.

In this article:

1. When should palliative care be offered?
2. Palliative care support for family and friends
3. Other signs you may need palliative care
4. What conditions and symptoms can be managed through palliative care?
5. Find palliative care near you

When Should Palliative Care Be Offered?

You can begin receiving palliative care at any point after being diagnosed with a terminal condition. Palliative care can often be given alongside other therapies to treat your condition.

You don’t need to wait until you’re nearing the end of your life, or when your condition has reached a certain point.

This is why people receive it for varying amounts of time. Some people get it for days or weeks as they near the end of their lives, while others receive palliative care for months or even years. There are five stages to palliative care.

Often, the earlier you begin receiving palliative care, the better. Getting the support you need early on can help make you more comfortable, while also getting you and your loved ones the emotional support needed to navigate this difficult and often overwhelming period.

A medical professional such as your GP may refer you to begin receiving palliative care. This is often in a care home or through care at home. Your GP may suggest palliative care if they think you’d benefit more from care which minimises the symptoms you’re experiencing, rather than trying to cure your condition.

When emotional support is required

Emotional support is an important part of palliative care. This support will help you and your family prepare for the later stages of palliative care.

You and your loved ones may be offered support groups to attend. Often, speaking with people going through a similar situation can make a huge difference to emotional wellbeing.

As your symptoms increase

Palliative care becomes increasingly important as symptoms increase. It’s important to be in an environment where any pain or discomfort can be best managed and looked after, whether this is in your own home, in a care home or somewhere else.

During this period, palliative carers will help you to remain as independent and active as possible.

When you’re nearing the end of your life

End-of-life care happens towards the end of palliative care. Many people begin receiving palliative care at this stage if they haven’t already. Here, the main priority is making you or your loved one as comfortable as possible, while providing any emotional support to yourself, family or friends.

Palliative Care Support For Family and Friends

Palliative care is holistic, meaning it covers all aspects and angles of care. Along with physical care, things like emotional support, spiritual support and practical assistance are also provided if needed.

This means that family, friends and any other carers can also receive palliative care alongside their loved one.

This could include group support sessions, where you can discuss your experiences with people in similar situations. You could also be given access to a social worker, with whom you can discuss any adaptations that need making to the home of the person receiving care. These adaptations can often be made using a disabled facilities grant.

Family and friends can speak to their GP, or the GP of the person receiving care, to find out what support is available to them.

Other Signs You May Need Palliative Care

• Pain and discomfort which isn’t relieved by your current medication or treatment
• Other symptoms are becoming more noticeable, such as breathlessness, tiredness, nausea or loss of appetite
• Regular hospital visits or hospitalisations
• Significant and sudden weight loss
• Finding it more difficult to manage medication
• Becoming less active, such as sitting in the same spot throughout the day
• Falling more often
• Completing daily tasks such as preparing and cooking meals, cleaning and washing clothes has become a greater challenge
• Looking after your personal care (such as getting in and out of bed, washing, bathing and using the toilet) has also become more challenging

What Conditions and Symptoms Can Be Managed Through Palliative Care?

The main focus of palliative care is providing relief from any pain or discomfort felt, along with offering emotional, spiritual and practical support to the person receiving care, their family members and close friends.

Here are some of the conditions that palliative care often specialises in managing, and the symptoms it’ll help to reduce:

• Late-stage dementia - Confusion, frustration and discomfort

• Cancer - Pain and discomfort, nausea and loss of appetite

• Neurological conditions - This includes conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease. Symptoms such as muscle stiffness or weakness, difficulty swallowing and a lack of mobility can be supported and managed

• Heart disease - Chest pain, shortness of breath and tiredness

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - Breathlessness, coughing and tiredness

• Liver failure - Tiredness, nausea and pain or discomfort

Other symptoms that can be managed through palliative care include:

• Diarrhoea
• Constipation
• Difficulty sleeping
• Coughing
• Depression and social isolation

Find Palliative Care Near You

You can use Lottie to find a range of palliative care services near you.

We list palliative care homes throughout the UK. Each of our care home listings explains what types of additional elderly care are and aren’t offered.

We also offer palliative care at home across domiciliary care, live-in care and overnight care (sleeping and waking). Here, a compassionate carer will support you or your loved one at home. Depending on your care needs, they’ll either make regular visits or move in full-time.

Lottie matches care seekers with the best palliative care homes or palliative care at home for their needs. You can also request a free care home shortlist or home care shortlist from our care experts, who will share care options with availability matching your budget and location.